1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to notebook accessories and, more particularly, to an accessory for grouping loose-leaf data sheets in a manner enabling a user to rapidly access them with minimal effort.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, a variety of arrangements have been proposed for maintaining, in an organized but separated fashion, diverse forms of information. These arrangements have often used loose leaf notebooks as the main holding device and included, within each notebook, separators of various configurations and colors, tabs of various shapes and sizes, sheet-type carriers, and numerous other aids. At the same time, numerous recommendations have been suggested to improve the usability, in general, of the conventional loose leaf notebook. Many of these improvements have been presented in the patent literature. Some typical examples follow.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,807 issued on Sep. 3, 1991 to Meservy et al. discloses a writing platform for a loose leaf notebook which includes a writing table that can be elevated from a flat configuration to an elevated position along one edge so as to provide a writing surface beneath one or more pages in the notebook.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,273 issued on Apr. 25, 1989 to Silva et al. an insert is disclosed which is adapted to be retained in a loose leaf notebook for effective display of information. Each insert includes first and second sections joined along a common edge and movable from a folded condition essentially protecting the stored contents to an extended position which exposes information in certain display areas and allows removal of bulk stored information.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,508 issued Nov. 15, 1988 to Shannon discloses a tabular indexing system for use in loose leaf binders having index insert sheets incorporating perforations defining a plurality of index tabs so that unused tabs may be removed from the insert sheets, and protective transparent carriers into which the index sheets are inserted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,844 issued Nov. 21, 1967 to Staats, there is disclosed a replacement for a loose leaf notebook comprising a backbone for multiple leaves of the notebook such that the leaves may be readily inserted and removed one at a time without disturbing the other leaves of the notebook.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,043,737 issued Jul. 18, 1962 to Engelstein discloses a transparent sheet protector constituted by separate panels of plastic material in superposed relation which are interconnected by parallel ribs of strip material to define an inner jacket for insertion of a sheet to be displayed and an outer pocket for insertion of an index card.
These types of concerns were addressed much earlier in the century as well. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,488,616 which issued on Apr. 1, 1924 to Robbins discloses a folio for sheet music into which individual sheets may be kept separate, retained in a desired order and arrangement and readily located and inserted and removed at will.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 866,167 issued Sep. 1, 1907 to Tiffany discloses a card index system or ledger by which the account of any individual can be readily determined as well as the items forming the accountant whereby the merchant's monthly summary of outstanding accounts can be readily determined.
It was with knowledge of the foregoing disclosures representative of the state of the art that the present invention was conceived and has now been reduced to practice.
The present invention relates to a stationery appliance for use with a loose leaf ring binder has at least two closure rings capable of holding punched sheets in an organized manner and comprises a grouping device selectively encircling a plurality of the sheets to define an integral group thereof and maintain the integral group segregated from all of the other sheets held by the closure rings of the ring binder. The grouping device is selectively releasable to permit inspection of individual sheets of the integral group or removal of individual sheets from the ring binder. In one embodiment, the grouping device includes an elongated strip of flexible sheet material extending between first and second ends, the strip including a bight portion intermediate the first and second ends to define an upper elongated flap generally contiguous with an uppermost sheet of the integral group of sheets and a lower elongated flap generally contiguous with a lowermost sheet of the integral group of sheets. Attachment holes are provided adjacent the first and second ends for being freely received on the closure rings of the ring binder, the first end being removable from the closure ring to allow the upper elongated flap to be lifted away from engagement with the uppermost sheet of the integral group thereof to thereby yield free access to the individual sheets of the integral group.
In another manner of speaking, the invention relates to a system of devices which enables capture of ring notebook documents into groups of data yet enables active use of the documents for review, revision and copying. A strip of thin sheet material such as paper, card stock, Tyvek.RTM., Mylar.RTM., or other generally equivalent plastic, is stiffened by material added on at least one end. A hole or holes which may be approximately at least twice but normally three times the diameter of the ring on which it is to be used is located to allow alignment with a hole or holes in sheets containing the documents. A cut or slice in the sheet material depending on the characteristics of the material enables disassembly, that is, removal of the sheet material without the necessity of opening the ring or rings on the ring binder. This item is attached at assembly or in manufacture to a document backing piece which may or may not be of identical shape and may even be part of the aforementioned hook strip which completes the capture of documents. Some of these devices may require scissors or some other cutting device for initial installation trimming. However, no tools or special skills are required to detach or add individual sheets to the captured group. Documents using these devices are not subject to damage by puncture or mutilation when reviewing, or when adding to the captured document package, or when removing pages. These strips may be provided in varying colors to enhance the classification procedure.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved stationery appliance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an accessory for a loose leaf notebook which collects loose-leaf data sheets into groups for quick reference.
A further object of the invention is to provide an accessory which allows the review of groups of data sheets without removing or undoing the rings of a loose-leaf binder.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an accessory for a loose leaf notebook which helps protect the punched holes of data sheets from damage and which eliminates the inadvertent loss of data sheets.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an accessory for a loose leaf notebook which eliminates the need of stapling loose-leaf files resulting in damage to the pages thereof.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an accessory for a loose leaf notebook which reduces copier jams and subsequent equipment damage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an accessory for a loose leaf notebook in the form of a grouping device which is used to selectively encircle a plurality of sheets to define an integral group thereof and maintain the integral group segregated from all of the other sheets held by closure rings of the ring binder, the grouping device being selectively releasable to permit inspection of individual sheets of the integral group or removal of individual sheets from the ring binder, as desired.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an accessory which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, can be easily used and is adaptable to loose leaf notebooks which are currently in use. Other and further features, advantages, and benefits of the invention will become apparent in the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawings. It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but are not to be restrictive of the invention. The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this invention, illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention in general terms. Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the disclosure.